Sony is denying accusations that a tweet since deleted from the “Ghostbusters” official Twitter account confirmed the movie’s anti-male agenda.
“The tweet was never intended to be a political endorsement,” a spokeswoman for Sony told TheWrap. “It was a shout-out to our own glass ceiling-busters,” referring to stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
Tuesday evening, the”Ghostbusters” Twitter account posted a photo of McKinnon in ghost-fighting garb beside a message about smashing glass ceilings and Hillary Clinton’s official campaign hashtag #ImWithHer.
Wednesday, the tweet was deleted after some vicious reactions from certain corners of the internet that had long suspected the movie of carrying a heavy-handed “social justice warrior” and anti-male message, and saw the tweet as a glimpse into its true colors.
https://twitter.com/SonnyBunch/status/758779901726040064
The “Ghostbusters” tweet didn’t appear subtle in its pro-Clinton messaging. The Democratic nominee has mentioned glass ceilings in her stump speeches for years, and McKinnon currently plays a much more expressive version of Clinton on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Some conservative critics such as Breitbart’s Milo Yiannopoulous — who wrote a blistering review of the movie in which he alleged that it cast “all men” as the enemy — have long suspected the movie of being overtly not just feminist, but anti-male. Yiannopoulos was recently banned from Twitter for his role in a wave of abusive tweets sent by his followers to “Ghostbusters” star Leslie Jones.
So when the tweet was sent, it seemed to validate some of the fears they had that it was a movie about something much more than catching ghosts.
Meanwhile, the “Ghostbusters” cast and crew haven’t done much to tamp down suspicions that they’re in the bag for Clinton. The stars appeared alongside her on a May episode of “Ellen,” and director Judd Apatow, a producer on the film, told Uproxx that there’s a “very large crossover” between people criticizing the movie — whom he branded “angry trolls” — and Trump supporters.
Jim Treacher at the Daily Caller took a victory lap when the tweet was pulled.
“I wonder which part of that tweet made them think twice: Claiming to have busted a ceiling that was shattered decades ago, or aligning themselves with a presidential candidate who’s despised by at least half the country?” Treacher wrote. “Of course, they’ll tell you that criticizing anything they do is sexist, because they’re women. But I ain’t ‘fraid of no riposte!”
Even Ghostbusters don’t want to take on trolls.